Apparatus for forming containers

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for forming a container from a flat blank includes a forming station having a plurality of camming elements for folding the panels and flaps of the blank into an upwardly open container. The operator manually fills the container in the forming station, and the filled container is slid horizontally therefrom past a pair of adhesive applicators. The horizontal movement folds closed the remaining flaps of the end closures as the container is pushed into a compression station where the adhesive sets.

United States Patent 1191 Reeves 1451 May 1,1973

[ APPARATUS FOR FORMING CONTAINERS [75] Inventor: Robert E. Reeves, Indianapolis, Ind.

[73] Assignee: Inland Container Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind.

22 Filed: Nov. 17, 1970 1211 Appl, No.: 90,273

52] us. c1. ..53/194, 53/387, 53/391, 93/59 R 51 1111. c1. ..B65b 43/26 [58] Field of Search ..53/124 A, 124 B, 53/124 c, 124 cc, 391, 194, 337; 93/58 P, 1 H H 59 R 156 References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,490,l98 H1970 Bcckman ..53/l24 A 3,383,825 5/l968 Titchenal ..53/l24 C 3,530,640 9/1970 Hoffmann.... .....53/l 24 C 2,781,622 2/1957 Shoffner ..53/39l X 2,920,429 l/l960 Rejsa ..53/39l X 2,932,927 4/1960 Segerstrom.

R26,075 9/1966 Canno ..93/58 P 2,627,153 2/1953 Stencil ..53/l24 A 2,962,848 12/1960 Wilson ....53/124' CC 3,091,066 5/1963 Laurenzi. ......53/39l X 3,301,144 lll967 Reeves ..93/36 R Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Att0rney-Anderson, Luedeka, Fitch, Even & Tabin [5 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus for forming a container from a flat blank includes a forming station having a plurality of camming elements for folding the panels and flaps of the blank into an upwardly open container. The

operator manually fills the container in the forming station, and the filled container is slid horizontally therefrom past a pair of adhesive applicators. The horizontal movement folds closed the remaining flaps of the end closures as the container is pushed into a compression station where the adhesive sets.

1 Claim, 10 Drawing Figures Patented May 1, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR s Z, d M, NW

Patented May 1, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 7 Q0060 5 Peel es L h j ZlL /m,

ATTYs,

APPARATUS FOR FORMING CONTAINERS The present invention relates to container-making and more particularly to apparatus for forming a container and sealing it after it is filled with items being packaged.

Container closing and sealing machines are well known in the packaging industry, and such machines are particularly useful in packing small packages into larger containers and then sealing the containers. However, even semi-automatic machines of this type have been large, complicated and fairly expensive, and thus such machines have not been economically feasible for use in many operations which presently utilize hand loading and sealing of containers. Typically, these devices for the forming containers include a plurality of pressure-movable platens that sequentially engage the panels and flaps of a container blank to fold them into a complete container. These devices may frequently need repairs and often create improperly formed containers, and many of them require manual handling of the blank and/or container at several stages during fabrication. Moreover, these machines are generally considered unsuited for packaging items such as processed meat and cheese and fragile items like cookies.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for fabrication of a container from a flat blank by the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for forming a container from a blank in a location suitable for filling the container with packages and for the semi-automatic sealing of the filled containers.

A further object is to provide semi-automatic apparatus for the efficient forming, filling and sealing of containers which requires little effort on the part of the operator.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for forming containers which is small in size, simple in operation, efficient in sealing and inexpensive to purchase, so that it may serve as a ready replacement I for manual forming and sealing of containers.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of representative apparatus for forming, filling and sealing a container from a flat blank;

FIG. 1A is a front, fragmentary sectional view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 shown with a sealed container located therein;

FIG. 2 is a sidesectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section view showing a modified version of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a carton blank typical of a type which the apparatus is designed to form into a container; and

FIGS. 5 to 9 are sequential perspective views of the blank shown in FIG. 4 during its formation into a container on the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, there is shown apparatus 10 particularly useful for forming a flat blank 100 (FIG. 4) into a container. 102 (FIG. 9). The apparatus 10 generally includes a supporting structure 12 on the upper surface of which there is provided a forming station 14. at the front thereof, wherein the container 102 is initially formed from the blank 100, and a compression station 16 at the rear thereof, wherein sealing of the filled container 102 is completed. Desirably, the entire apparatus 10 is fabricated of a material, such as stainless steel, that may be readily cleaned. It is noted that the terms front and rear are used only to describe the orienta tion of the apparatus 10 relative to the operator who stands adjacent the forming station 14 and views the apparatus as it is shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the container blank used in forming the container 102 is of the five-panel-folder type. Such a blank 100 is rectangular in shape, and the illustrated blank is defined by a front edge 104, a rear edge 106 and a pair of side edges 108. Typically, the container blank 100 is fabricated of corrugated fiberboard with the corrugations paralleling the front edge 104. A plurality of score lines 110 run transversely of the blank 100 between the side edges 108. Additional score lines 112 are located perpendicular to the score lines 110 and extend between the front and rear edges 104 and 106. Cuts 114 are formed in the blank 100 at both ends of the respective: score lines 110, extending between each side edge 108 and the adjacent longitudinal score line 112.

The cuts and score lines divide the blank 100 into a number of panels, flaps and extensions. The illustrated five-panel-folder blank has a bottom panel 116 and front and rear vertical panels 118 and 120 which are hinged thereto at the score lines .110. Front and rear partial cover panels 122 and 124 are hinged to the front and rear panels 118 and 120, respectively, along the upper edges thereof at the score lines 110. End flaps 126 are hinged to the side edges of the bottom panel 116 at the longitudinal score lines 112, and end flaps 128 are hinged to each side edge of the front and rear panels 118 and 120 at the score lines 112. Finally, the rear and front partial cover panels 122 and 124 carry end extensions 130 hinged thereto at the score lines l 12. These panels, flaps and extensions are folded from flat blanks 100 to form the container 102 by an operator using the apparatus 10.

The supporting structure 12 of the illustrated embodiment of the apparatus 10 resembles a table having four legs 18 which are interconnected in pairs by front and rear transverse structural members 20, which are suitably affixed thereto, as by welding. Extending between and suitably affixed to the front and rear structural members 20, are two outer channels 22 which constitute the side edges of the supporting structure 12 and two channels 24 disposed respectively inward thereof. These four channel members provide the longitudinal structural strength for the apparatus 10. The inner channels 24 are disposed facing each other and provide a central longitudinal track along which the' blank is moved in its progression into the filled, sealed container shown in FIG. 9. A plurality of rollers 26 are mounted on horizontal axes extending respectively between the channels 22 and 24 on each side of the track. As seen in FIG. 2, the rollers 26 extend slightly above the upper flanges of the inner channels 24 which constitute the track and thus facilitate the movement of the packed containers therealong.

The mechanism constituting the forming station 14 and the compression station 16 is mounted on a pair of longitudinally extending mounting plates 28 which are individually of a length substantially equal to that of the supporting structure 12. The mounting plates 28 are slidably supported on the upper surfaces of the transverse structural members 20, which in the illustrated embodiment are made of angle iron and the upper surfaces of which lie slightly above the tops of the rollers.

To facilitate adjustment of the spacing between the parallel mounting plates 28 to accommodate containers of different sizes, elongated slots 30 are provided in the upper flanges of both the front and rear transverse structural members 20. The mounting plates 28 are appropriately clamped to the upper surface of the transverse members in the desired lateral positions relative to the central track, using nuts and bolts 32 or the like which extend through the elongated slots The forming station 14, which is located at the front of the apparatus 10, includes front camming fixtures 34 and back camming-plow fixtures 36. Each front fixture 34 includes a cam plate 38 which carries forward and rearward upstanding abutments 40, 42 respectively that are rounded at the corners which come in contact with the blank being formed. Each rear abutment 42 is mounted by screws extending upward through holes in the plates 38, and more than one set of holes may be provided in each plate to facilitate relocation. The for ward abutments 40 can be positioned longitudinally as desired by the provision of slots 44 in the plate through which screws extend into the underside of the abutments. The forward abutments 40 carry camming rods 46 which extend toward each other to a location generally above the track. The cam plate 38 is suitably supported on the longitudinal mounting plates 28 by brackets 48 which themselves are slotted to allow both.

vertical and lateral adjustment of the cam plates 38 relative to the longitudinal mounting plates.

Each back fixture 36 contains an upstanding bracket 50 suitably bolted to the longitudinal mounting plate 28 through elongated holes. Each bracket 50, as best seen in FIG. 2, contains a vertical slot 52 which is used to mount one of a pair of facing plows 54. The plows 54 are formed from plate material, and each has the general shape of a right triangle. A suitable mounting screw extends through the elongated vertical slot 52 in the mounting bracket into a threaded hole in one of the perpendicular edges of the plow 54 and is employed to clamp the plow 54 to the mounting bracket 50 at the desired vertical level and with the desired orientation relative to the track. The long edge or hypotenuse 56 of the plow serves to fold the cover extensions 130 closed as shown in FIG. 8, and as described more fully hereinafter. The upper edges 58 of the plows 54 provide short, rounded surfaces which are employed to engage the blank 100 at an appropriate location to cause breaking of the blank at the fold line 110 between the bottom panel 116 and the rear panel 120, as hereinafter described in more detail.

Also supported on the vertical brackets 50 are a pair of guides 60, which in the illustrated embodiment are pieces of angle iron. The guides 60 aid the operator in precisely locating the rear edge 106 of the blank above the forming station 14 as the initial step of the forming operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the right hand guide 60 carries a corner locator 61 which is ap propriately positioned on the guide via an elongated slot 62 in its upstanding vertical flange. The corner locator 61 may be a piece of flat metal formed to provide three mutually perpendicular surfaces, and it serves as a guide for the operator to precisely locate the right hand edge of the blank above the forming station. It will be understood that the illustrated embodiment is adapted for the operator to feed the blanks from a stack appropriately located to the left of the apparatus 10, and thus it would be more convenient to dispose the corner locator 61 on the left hand guide 60 should it be desired to position the stack of flat blanks 100 on the right hand side of the apparatus.

The operator appropriately locates the blank 100 above the forming station 14 and then presses it downward, exerting force with his fingers against the bottom panel 116. The upper rounded edges 58 of the plows 54 engage the undersurface of the blank 100 in the vicinity of the cover extensions 130 and, due in part to the fact that the corrugations in the blank 100 run transversely, (i.c., parallel to the score lines cause the breaking of the blank at the score line 110 between the bottom panel 116 and the rear panel 120. Generally simultaneously with the breaking of this score line, the front cover panel 122 and its extensions 7 130 engage the pair of forward abutments 40 and the camming rods 46 which they carry. The effect on the blank 100 is similar in that breaking occurs at the score line 110 at which the front edge of the bottom panel 1 16 is hinged to the front panel 1 18 of the container.

Continued downward movement of the blank causes the camming of the end flaps 128, which are hinged to the front and rear panels, as a result of their engagement by the four upstanding abutments 40 and 42, and the blank takes the form shown in FIG. 5. As can be seen, this arrangement has the effect of folding the end flaps 128 attached to the front and rear panels 1 18, 120 inward of the larger end flaps 126 which are hinged to the bottom panel 116. Still further downward movement of the blank 100 causes the interior'edges of the cam plates 38 to engage undersides of the end flaps 126. This engagement causes the breading of the score lines 112 along the side edges of the bottom panel 1 16, upwardly camming the end flaps 126 to the position shown in FIG. 6, which depicts the carton blank at the time that the bottom panel 118 is in engagement with the rollers 26 adjacent the track edges. As can be seen, neither the end flaps 126 nor the front or rear panels 118,120 are disposed vertically, but the container is open slightly in all directions to facilitate loading.

In this position, the operator packs the container with the desired number of packages 132 (see FIG. 7). The operator then manually closes the front and rear cover panels 122 and 124 and begins to slide the packed container rearward on the track. The leading edge of the bottom of the packed container engages and closes a first switch 64 which has a roller arm at the end thereof. The first switch 64 is located so that at about the time it is closed the outer surface of the upstanding end flaps 126 are just short of engaging the heads of adhesive applicators 66 mounted adjacent each side of the track. The illustrated adhesive applicators 66 are extrusion type devices which are pneumatically powered. The applicators 66 are mounted by pivotal supports 68 which are suitably attached to the mounting plates 28. The adhesive applicators 66 include a resilient central section 66a, made of rubber or other suitable material, which permits the applicators to be set so that they bear firmly against and follow the contour of the outer surface of the end flaps 126 to which the adhesive is to be applied.

Continued forward sliding movement of the packed container causes the leading edge of the bottom thereof to engage and close a second switch 70 which also includes a roller arm. The second switch 70 and the first switch 64 are connected to a control mechanism 71 having a section that regulates the adhesive applicators. Actuation of the second switch 70 activates the control mechanism 71 which causes adhesive to be extruded from the heads of both adhesive applicators 66 onto the outer surface of the sliding container. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the line of adhesive 134 applied to the container begins a short distance behind the leading edge and can be adjusted by adjusting the location of the second switch in the track. Continuing travel of the container also causes the diagonal plowing edges of the plows 54 to engage the cover extensions 130 and fold them down against the outer surface of the end flaps 126 upon which the adhesive has been applied. A pair of guide plates72 are provided along the inner edges of the two longitudinal mounting plates 28. The inner facing edges of these guide plates 72 provide guide surfaces at a location just slightly above the rollers 26 which serve to maintain the straight alignment of the packed container as it travels from the forming station 14 to the compression station 16.

Sufficient movement of the container rearward on the track causes the first switch 64 to open, upon which occurrence the control mechanism 71 terminates the flow of adhesive to the head of the applicator 66. This causes the line of adhesive 134 to be terminated slightly short of the trailing edge of the end flap 126, and thus allows the head to be wiped clean of adhesive to avoid any' weeping" or dripping that might occur while the next container is being packed. v

Movement of the packed container by the operator terminates after it passes through the discharge open ing=between the plows 54 and enters the compression station 16 of the apparatus. The operator shoves the container 102 far enough so that it clears the plows 54.

l The compression station 16 includes two parallel lines of resilient rollers 73 which flank the track and are spaced apart a distance just slightly less than the length of the packed container 102. The individual rollers 73 are made of a suitable resilient material, such as synthetic rubber, and individually supported for rotation on vertical axes at spaced locations along a pair of angle iron supports 74. Each angle iron support 74 is mounted byfour brackets 75 to the main longitudinal mounting plates 28 by screws which are threaded into tapped holes in the vertical flange of each angle iron support 74. The screws. pass through vertical slots in the brackets 75 which allow for adjustment of the height of the resilient rollers 73 above the track. Desirably, the rollers 73 are located at or slightly above the line of adhesive 134 which was applied to the end flaps.

The resilient rollers 73 are preferred and exert desired pressure against the end closures at both ends of the filled container 102 while the adhesive sets; however, other suitable means, such as leaf springs or tensioned belts might also be employed. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the spacing between the forwardmost roller 73 and the rear end of the plow 54 is less than the corresponding dimension of the cover extension 130 so as a to assure that folded extension remains in contact with the end flap 126. Depending upon the type of adhesive used and the time it takes the average operator to pack a container, the compression station 16 is made suitably long so that the container will remain under the compression station for sufficient time for the adhesive to set and complete the sealing of the packed container.

To avoid potential fatigue which might affect an operator who, at arms length, must move a line of packed containers through the compression station 16 each time he plows shut the cover extensions 130 on the container just packed, a power-operated pusher 76 can be optionally provided. It should be understood that a suitable conveyor or the like (not shown) would be disposed adjacent the rear end of the compression station 16 to accept the packed, sealed containers 102' as they are ejected from the rear. end thereof. The power-operated pusher 76 is located between the two facing channels 24 which form the track, and it includes a double-acting air cylinder 77 which is pivotally connected to a lug 78 that is welded to the rear transverse structural member 20. v j v The piston rod 79 from the cylinder77 is attached at its free end via a pivotal connection to a transverse pin 80 that is affixedto a movablecarriage 81. The carriage 81, as best seen in FIG. 1A., is slidably mounted on and extends between the lower flanges of the interior longitudinal support channels 24. The'carriage 81 is provided with suitable bearing surfaces, for example, slotted blocks 82 of polytetrafluroethylene, which a's-. sure that the carriage can be slid smoothly fore and aft in the track. The carriage 81 includes apair of upstan'ding lugs 83 which support a shaft 84 on which the pusher 76 is mountedpThe pusher 76 has a cap portion which may be bent from a piece of suitable sheet material and is suitably pivotally mounted on the shaft 84 and biased by a pair of springs 85 to theupper position shown in FIG. 2. The trailing end of the pusher 76 is bent downward to provide a depending flange that engages the lugs 83 to limit upward pivotal movement of the pusher 76 to the position shown in FIG. 2.

In its upper position, the leading edge of the pusher 76 is disposed sufficiently above the vertical level of the rollers 26 so that it will engage the front panel 118 of the packed container 102 (as shown in FIG. 1A). The control mechanism 71 also contains another section which operates the double-acting; air cylinder 77 as a result of signals received from the first switch 64. Ordinarily the piston rod 79 is maintained in its retracted position during its dwell time so as to protect it against rust and the like during periods between shifts or at other times when the apparatus 10 is not being used. Closing of the first switch 64, as the operator begins to slide a packed container down the track, causes air to be applied through a hose 86 to the rear end of the cylinder 77 to drive the piston rod 79 to the extended position shown in FIG. 2. During its travel, the pusher 76 will pivot beneath the bottom panel 116 of the container which the operator is sliding rearward. As soon as the pusher 76 clears the container, the springs 85 cause it to pivot to the upper position shown in FIG. 2.

The control mechanism 71 contains a variable time delay which can be set for a desired number of seconds, depending upon the anticipated length of the manual packing operation. At the end of this time delay, air is automatically fed to the front end of the cylinder 77 through the line 87, causing thejpiston rod 79 to be retracted and driving all of the containers 102 in the compression station 16 a distance equal to the stroke of the pneumatic cylinder. Assuming the compression station 16 is filled, the power stroke of the pusher 76 ejects the rearwardmost container, upon which the adhesive will now have set, from the end of the compression station and onto a suitable conveyor (not shown).

The provision of the time delay lengthens the period which each container spends in the compression station 16 while the adhesive sets and thus effects efficient use of the compression station.

Also illustrated in the drawings is a cover scarifying mechanism 88 which may optionally be provided in order to provide lines of weakness along the cover that will facilitate the easy opening of the container 102 at its final destination. Supported on the longitudinal mounting plates 28 are a pair of vertical rods 89 which are mounted in suitable bases 90 screwed to the upper surface thereof. Slidably mounted on each of the rods 89 is a bracket 91 that supports a horizontal shaft 92 which extends inward toward the track a desired distance past the resilient rollers 73 of the compression station. Setscrews in the brackets 91 provide for adjustment of the vertical height at which the shafts 92 are located above the track.

Pivotally mounted near the ends of the horizontal shafts 92 are knife holders 93 which are maintained at the desired location on the shafts by keepers 94 which are affixed thereto by Setscrews. At its lower end, each of the knife holders 93 supports a knife 95, which may be a razor blade that is suitably clamped therein. The exposure of the blade edge below the bottom of the holder 93 determines the depth of the cut which will be made. The knife holders are biased clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, to a position about 30 from the vertical. The biasing is accomplished by suitable springs 96 which are disposed about the shafts 92 and each of which is attached at one end to the knife holder 93 and at its other end to a sleeve 97 which s fixedly positioned on the shaft via a setscrew or the like. A suitable stop (not shown) is provided to incline each knife holder 93 at the desired orientation.

As a packed container is moved through the compression station 16, the knife holders 93 are initially pivoted in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) until the knife blades 95 at the lower ends thereof engage the rear cover panels 124 of the container. The knives 95 are set so the depth of cut is sufficient to pass through the top liner and the major portion of the corrugating medium of the corrugated fiberboard from which the blank 100 is constructed, the corrugations preferably running in a direction transverse to the line of weakness 136 which the knife creates. The pressure of the spring-biased knives against the cover panels 122 and 124 assures clean slitting for the entire width of the container along two parallel lines 136. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the

majority of the distance of travel of the container 102 in contact with the knives occurs while it is being moved by the power-operated pusher 76.

In summary, the flat blank is first located above the forming station 14 using the guides 60 and corner locator 61, and the operator then pushes the blank downward into the forming station, applying pressure generally in the region of the bottom panel 116. The score lines between the bottom panel 116 and the front and rear panels 118 and 120 are broken by contact of the blank with the upper rounded edges 58 of the plows 54 and with the front abutments 40 and camming rods 46, respectively. Further downward movement bends the four end flaps 128 upward as a result of contact with the four camming abutments 40 and 42. Next, the end flaps 126 which are hinged to the bottom panel 116 are bent upward when these flaps contact the inner edges of the camming plates 38.

With the partially formed blank in the disposition shown in FIG. 6, the operator proceeds to fill it with the desired number of packages 132 and then manually closes the cover panels 122 and 124. Although in the illustrated five-panel-folder the front and rear cover panels are of equal dimension, they could be of unequal dimension, if desired, or could even be shorter than the full width of the container, should a gap in the cover be desired for some purpose. Furthermore, it is possible to employ a blank in which a full cover panel is attached to the rear panel 120 and a narrow flap is hinged to the front panel, which arrangement would serve to form a manufacturers joint at the corner. In such a case, it may be desirable to provide an adhesive coater adjacent the apparatus for applying a line of adhesive for gluing such a joint and to also provide additional means at the compression station 16 for applying downward pressure on the cover of the container in addition to the endwise pressure that is provided by the illustrated resilient rollers 73.

The operator applies a rearward thrust to slide the container along the track through the discharge opening between the pair of plows. As the packed container horizontally escapes from the forming station, the switches 64 and 70 activate the adhesive applicators 66 and also cause the pneumatic cylinder 77 to extend the piston rod. Horizontal lines of adhesive 134 are applied along the outer surface of the end flaps 1 26, and the cover extensions are folded downward thereagainst by the plows 54. The flow of adhesive is automatically halted when the first switch 64 opens as the result of the disengagement of its roller arm from the bottom panel of the sliding container.

The operator releases the closed container after it has passed completely through the discharge opening between the plows 54 and resides in the front endof the compression station 16, and he turns to remove the top blank 100 from the stack of blanks and repeat the packing process. After a time delay ofa predetermined number of seconds, which is shorter than the time it will take the operator to pack the next container, the control mechanism 71 applies air to the forward end of the pneumatic cylinder 77, thus driving the piston rod 79 to its retracted position and pushing the container 102 rearward in the compression station 16. This movement causes the rearwardmost container to be ejected from the end of the compression station 16 onto a suitable transfer conveyor (not shown).

vertical slots 52 in the supporting brackets 50. Thus,

the plows 54, 54 are positioned with their oblique plowing edges disposed in converging relationship.

In such a modified apparatus, a wider line of adhesive is applied to each end closure in order to seal both the upper and lower end flaps, and accordingly a adhesive applicator 66 is provided having a T-shaped head which may extrude an adhesive pattern 3 to 4 inches wide. Preferably, for a container of this type, the bottom, front and rear panels all have the same dimension so that the cross-section of the container is square. Under such circumstances, the end flaps 128 hinged to the front and rear panels will each extend halfway across the container closure, and their edges will substantially abut. Continuous lines of adhesive may accordingly be applied to the outer surfaces of the abutting end flaps 128. Should the container dimensions be such that the end flaps 128 would be shorter, two additional switches may be provided in the track to turn the adhesive applicators 66' off and on and thus interrupt the line of adhesive 134 at the gap between ward so that the end flaps l26 attached to the bottom panels, once the defining score lines are broken, would spring outward past the inner edge and reside under the plate. In this manner, the end flaps will pass under the T-shaped heads of the adhesive applicators 66' when the operator slides the filled container through the discharge opening between the pairs of converging plows. The converging plows 54, 54 simultaneously fold the end flaps attached to the bottom panel and the cover panels closed against the lines of adhesive. Resilient rollers 73 of somewhat thicker construction may be employed and located at the vertical center of the container where pressure will simultaneously be applied to both the upper and lower end flaps. Alternatively, an additional row of resilient rollers 73 could instead be employed adjacent each side of the compression station 16.

The present invention provides improved apparatus for the semi-automatic forming, filling and sealing of containers from flatblanks. The apparatus allows flat blanks to be formed and filled simply and effi-. ciently,.and it is easily adapted to accommodate blanks for containers of various sizes and configurations. The apparatus is simple, compact, relatively inexpensive and requires a minimum of maintenance, and it accordingly provides many advantages for packing operations which have heretofore been performed completely by hand because the expense of automatic equipment could not be economically justified.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been primarily shown and described, it should be apparent that various additional modifications may be made to the apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, other types of adhesive dispensers, such as rollers or spray devices or the like, may be employed instead of the extrusion applicators illustrated. Tape dispensers or staplers might also be substituted for the adhesive applicators. Moreover, additional mechanisms, such as printers which imprint a desired legend on the outer surfaces of the sealed end 1 flaps, might be incorporated into the compression station of the apparatus. Furthermore, a suction assist device might be provided at the forming station to move the blank downward therein and, if desired, hold it in this position'while it is being packed. As already in dicated, compression devices of various types might be employed instead of the resilient rollers illustrated.

Various of the features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for forming a container from a blank by initially moving the empty blank downward, which blankhas a bottom panel, front and rear panels, end flaps, and cover means including flap extensions, which apparatus comprises a supporting structure having a forming station, front camming means at said forming station for bending the front panel upwardly from said blank as the bottom panel of said blank .is moved downward into said station, a pair of plow means located at the rear of said forming station and spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the bottom panel to provide a discharge opening therebetween, the upper portions of each of said pair of plow means being disposed to bend the rear panel upwardly from said blank as the bottom panel of said blank is moved downward into said station, end camming means disposed at both sides of said forming station for bending the end flaps of said container upwardly from said blank as a part of the same downward movement that bends the front and rear panels upward, track means on said supporting structure extending rearward from said forming station, a compression, station longitudinally spaced along said track means from said forming station, adhesive dispensing means locatedbetween said forming and compression stations for applying adhesive to the exterior surfaces of the end flaps, switch means actuated by the movement of the packed container from said forming station including first and second switches spaced longitudinally along said track means which actuatesaid adheslve dispensing means to cause adhesive to be dispensed only when both of said switches are activated so that a line of adhesive applied to the end flaps is tenninated short of the front and the rear edges of the container, said compression station including means for applying compressive force against the cover extension flaps and end flaps while the adhesive sets, said compression station being sufficiently long to accommodate a plurality of packed containers, power-operated means being provided in said track means for automatically moving a pluralityof packed containers one in contact with another in said compression station a predetermined distance to discharge the rearmostcontainer from the end thereof as the operator is packing another container, said power-operated time-delay means which activates said fluid cylinder a predetermined time after movement of the packed container occurs to drive said engaging means toward the discharge end of said compression station. 

1. Apparatus for forming a container from a blank by initially moving the empty blank downward, which blank has a bottom panel, front and rear panels, end flaps, and cover means including flap extensions, which apparatus comprises a supporting structure having a forming station, front camming means at said forming station for bending the front panel upwardly from said blank as the bottom panel of said blank is moved downward into said station, a pair of plow means located at the rear of said forming station and spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the bottom panel to provide a discharge opening therebetween, the upper portions of each of said pair of plow means being disposed to bend the rear panel upwardly from said blank as the bottom panel of said blank is moved downward into said station, end camming means disposed at both sides of said forming station for bending the end flaps of said container upwardly from said blank as a part of the same downward movement that bends the front and rear panels upward, track means on said supporting structure extending rearward from said forming station, a compression station longitudinally spaced along said track means from said forming station, adhesive dispensing means located between said forming and compression stations for applying adhesive to the exterior surfaces of the end flaps, switch means actuated by the movement of the packed container from said forming station including first and second switches spaced longitudinally along said track means which actuate said adhesIve dispensing means to cause adhesive to be dispensed only when both of said switches are activated so that a line of adhesive applied to the end flaps is terminated short of the front and the rear edges of the container, said compression station including means for applying compressive force against the cover extension flaps and end flaps while the adhesive sets, said compression station being sufficiently long to accommodate a plurality of packed containers, power-operated means being provided in said track means for automatically moving a plurality of packed containers one in contact with another in said compression station a predetermined distance to discharge the rearmost container from the end thereof as the operator is packing another container, said power-operated means including a fluid-operated cylinder and means connected thereto for engaging the front panel of a packed container that has been moved through said discharge opening, and control means for said fluid cylinder connected to said switch means and including time-delay means which activates said fluid cylinder a predetermined time after movement of the packed container occurs to drive said engaging means toward the discharge end of said compression station. 